For CBS, which went to Augusta National through 51 one-year deals, The Masters is an invitational. And it's safe to say CBS will get another invite next year. CBS' Jim Nantz, after Phil Mickelson put on the winner's green blazer, concluded, "Phil is the master of his universe and, even better, he's The Masters champion."

The NFL said the referee made a mistake: Troy Polamalu caught the ball. The league acknowledged Monday that referee Pete Morelli erred when he overturned on replay Polamalu's interception of a Peyton Manning pass Sunday in the playoff game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Mark Shapiro tried to get his new boss, Dan Snyder, to open up in a joint interview Thursday. Snyder, the Washington Redskins owner and member of the NFL's TV committee, had been asked how he liked Playmakers, the ESPN dramatic series where some NFL players were portrayed as immoral if not downright evil, which the NFL objected to publicly. Snyder's response: "I can't say. Uh, it's a sensitive issue."

The 2004 NFL season will be remembered distinctly and irrefutably as the Year of the Pass. Last year, there were 61 games with a 300-yard passer. This year, 81, another NFL record. Take that, Knute Rockne and Amos Alonzo Stagg.

When the NFL's competition committee decided last winter to tighten the screws on rules that govern coverage techniques, defensive coaches were virtually unanimous in their concern about the potential impact.

The NFL's opening round of games saw no increase in penalties for illegal contact with receivers over last year's first 15 games, an increase in defensive holding calls and an overall decline in total penalties.

After a thorough review of the 2003 season, the NFL's competition committee has deemed illegal contact and defensive holding infractions as points of emphasis, meaning there is no need to adjust the rules but added pressure to apply them.

When the NFL playoffs begin, the best officials will be on the field. A new system implemented in 2003 keeps officiating crews together as they go into the postseason but makes provisions for putting more senior and highly rated personnel out there in a nod to the value of experience.